Oblivion
by I-am-a-loner
Summary: Some memories fade into oblivion, some don't. A story about hurt, love, compassion and yes, death.
1. Chapter 1

Sebastian never knew his father for he had died when he was only two months old. When he was five years old his mother told him that daddy's in heaven and for a five year old it was enough at that time. Knowing that daddy's with angels gave joy to the little boy who resembled his father that much that his mother sometimes just stared at him with tears in her eyes.

On Sebastian's tenth birthday, his mother gave him a picture of his father.

"But I already have pictures of him," the little boy had said to his mom. He couldn't hide the disappointment from his voice, because he had hoped for a new toy car for his birthday.

"I know." Her mother had answered. "You see, Sebastian, this picture is special for me. It's the very last picture taken of him." She had smiled sadly and handed over the picture to her son, her hands slightly trembling.

Years passed and Sebastian started to understand what death really meant. He learned to cherish that one picture, considering it his most prized possession. He also noticed that he resembled his father so much that sometimes even his uncle called him by his father's name. He didn't mind it, though.

On his 16th birthday his mother walked up to him with a small box in her hands and handed it to him.

"What's this?" he asked, eyeing the box curiously.

"I thought it's time for you to know everything there is to know about your father and me." His mother's voice was a whisper; he could see how she was barely holding herself together.

"Oh, mom..." he sighed. He knew how painful it was for her to talk about his father. That was why he had never really asked about him, because he knew that talking about him brought back too many painful memories for her. "You don't have to do this."

Her eyes shot up – "I do, Sebastian, I _have to. _You have never asked about him and I am so grateful for that, but I know that you do want to know, you _deserve _to know about him. I owe this to you." She grabbed his hand and beckoned him to sit next to her.

"What's in this box?" he asked, stroking the delicate pattern carved into the metallic lid.

"It's everything I have left of your Father." She said, twisting her hands nervously. "Open it."

Sebastian opened the box slowly and peered inside. There were many things inside it – some photos, a handkerchief, even a diary, but what caught his eye was a ring. Sebastian picked it up and examined the oval-shaped blue stone with a silvery symbol in the middle.

"What's this?" he asked, turning the ring around. He noticed that it had the letter S right in the middle.

"Try it on." His mother urged and when he slid the ring on his finger and it fit perfectly he could hear his mother sucking her breath in.

"It fits." She breathed, admiring his hand.

"Yeah, I guess it does." He said with a small smile, a bubble of happiness starting to swell in his stomach. It was his father's ring after all.

"I thought that it might be a bit big for you..." she said. "Fortunately I was wrong." Her voice trembled a bit and Sebastian looked up from his hands to his mother. He could see that she was crying.

"Mom?" his voice was worried, urgent.

"I'm alright." She inhaled deeply and wiped away the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'm ready." She finally said.

Sebastian looked at her and saw determination wash over her features, "Ready for what?"

"To tell you the story of your father, Stefan Salvatore."


	2. Chapter 2

"Why would I want to hear this story if I already know how it ends?" Sebastian asked, twirling the ring around his finger. He didn't dare to look at his mother, fearing to see disappointment in her eyes. The fact was that Sebastian was as afraid to hear that story as his mother was afraid to tell it. What if his father wasn't the man he had imagined to be in his head?

She sighed, and Sebastian could feel her eyes on him, but he kept his own eyes firmly glued to the ring like it was his life raft. "Yes you know how it ends." She said. "But you don't know the story before the ending and I do think it is time for you to know."

"What if I don't want to hear it?" Sebastian whispered. "What if I like to keep the memory of my father as it is right now?"

"It wouldn't be fair to him." She answered and that caused Sebastian's head to snap up and look his mother straight into her eyes.

"Fair?" he questioned and let out a shaky laugh like she was telling a very bad joke.

"He would have loved for you to know him and he would have loved to know you. And I can only grant one of those wishes." She gulped, and averted her eyes on the wall. "I have to respect that."

"Why now?" the words just spilled from Sebastian's tongue without permission. He hadn't meant to ask that, but what was done, was done so he continued, "You could have told me the story a long time ago that way I could have grown up with more than just a picture on the nightstand."

"It was all because of me and my own selfish reasons." Her answer was sad; her voice broke on all the wrong places like it was painful for her to confess that. "I didn't want to live it all through again, and I kept telling myself that you were too young to understand the whole story."

"What made you change your mind, mom?" Sebastian asked, "You could have kept it all to yourself, you know that I wouldn't have asked about him."

Before she answered she reached out for the box on Sebastian's lap and took a worn-looking journal out of it. "This belonged to your father, from the last two years from his life."

"He kept a journal?" Sebastian was surprised to hear that.

"He did." She turned the pages of the diary and Sebastian could see that every single page was filled with words, his father's words. A jolt of pain coursed through his body at that thought.

"You look so much like him." His mother mused, "Everything from your face to the way you walk reminds me of him." She raised her and smiled sadly – "Except your eyes, you got my eyes."

"Mom..." Sebastian began, not sure what to say.

"You don't have to say anything, just listen."

She turned to the first page of the journal. "I wasn't ready for a long time to go back in time, but I think I am now. There isn't a particular reason as to why I am suddenly ready, I just woke up today knowing what I need to do and that is for you to learn everything there is to know about you father."

Her words were rushed like she was afraid that Sebastian's going to interrupt her. But little did she know that in his chest, Sebastian's heart was beating rapidly in anticipation of what was coming. He knew that he might not like what he was about to hear, but the thought of finally getting to know the man who had caused his mother never to consider loving anyone again, was intimidating.

"Are you ready?" she asked her son, her voice now carrying a determination Sebastian had never heard before.

"I think so, yes..." he paused, hesitating. "I am." He added, taking a deep breath in, preparing himself for what he was about to hear.

She let her eyes roam over him, and she nodded to herself, confirming that he, in fact, was ready to listen what she had to say. She looked down again at the thick journal in her lap and read the first lines of the first page.

"_Today I met the most beautiful girl in the whole world." _It said.

"Does he mean you?" Sebastian's voice cut through her reverie. She must have read it out loud.

"Yes." She whispered. "We met 18 years ago, on September 7. This entry is dated September 7." She pointed her finger at the top right corner of the page where the date had been scribbled. "We were both 20 years old at that time."

"You must have left quite an impression on him if the first thing he wrote about you was that." Sebastian smiled, nudging her mother playfully with his elbow, causing her to laugh.

"I guess I did." She answered, the memory of meeting him coming back to her in her head.

"_Today I met the most beautiful girl in the whole world," _she repeated the first sentence and then continued reading out loud, "_Beautiful, but utterly obnoxious and annoying. I don't think I have even been that frustrated after meeting someone. I usually consider myself a pretty good human-whisperer (it's a nickname that Damon once gave me), but her – I just cannot read...although that is what makes her fascinating, if you leave all the feistiness behind (or maybe that was what drew me in, in the first place?) She said her name was Elena. Pretty name, I love way it rolls off my tongue like I was born to say it. I called her 'Lena and I don't think I've never seen a woman that angry because of a nickname. It was amusing to see her fuming over such a simple thing, I asked her what was wrong with me calling her 'Lena but all she told me was to screw myself then she stomped away like a woman on a mission to murder someone. Huh. Nik patted me on the shoulder after that, saying in that stupid accent of his that I'm not the ladies man I thought I was. Whatever, tomorrow's a new day and I swear to god, I am going to find Elena, no matter what."_

"He didn't leave a very good first impression on you, did he?" Sebastian's voice was amused, he pictured his mother being angry over something as simple as a name.

"I thought he was the most arrogant guy I had ever met." Elena confessed. "I guess he thought the same way about me." She let out a humourless laugh.

Sebastian's eyebrows shot up – "You haven't read his diary before?"

"I haven't, I felt like I was invading his privacy every time I took Stefan's journal and wanted to read it, so I always put it back and never read a single word."

"That's...impressive." Sebastian answered, not bothering to hide his amazement over his mother.

"I would have hated if anyone read my diary," she said, thinking back to the journals hidden under her bed.

Sebastian stopped in the middle of scratching his head and gaped at his mother – "You kept a diary, too?"

"I did."

"You don't anymore?"

"No, I haven't kept a journal for 16 years." Her voice was rough, only scratching the surface of what she was truly feeling. Elena kept reminding herself that tears would be of no use, especially in front of her son, so she tried to keep her emotions in check.

"Oh," was all that Sebastian could say. 16 years ago his father had died.

"Okay, enough of this misery." Elena forced a small smile on her lips and looked at Sebastian, "It's your birthday after all and I promised you a story. So where do you want me to begin?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Start from the day you two met." Sebastian said, leaning back on the couch, making himself more comfortable for a long day.

She nodded and closed her eyes, bringing back pictures of that sunny September day, it was unusually warm for September and she and her friends – Bonnie and Caroline - were trying to take the last from the sun.

* * *

_18 years ago..._

"We should head back to class," Bonnie, the voice of reason, broke through the haze of Elena's thoughts.

"Bonnie!" Another voice whined, "Don't be such a buzz kill!" Caroline exclaimed.

"You do realize we could get in trouble for this?" The three of them were sprawled across the campus lawn, trying to soak up of what was probably going to be last of the sun.

"So?" Caroline retorted. "It's worth it." The blonde said cheerfully, all the worries of the world were so far away from her it sometimes made Elena jealous.

"We're the only ones here! Everyone else is in class." Bonnie said, her voice slightly nervous. Elena knew how important it was for her to keep a straight record, her parents had always been very strict with her upbringing and she knew how breaking any kinds of rules made Bonnie concerned.

"C'mon, Bon, these are our college years, we're supposed to be rebellious!" Caroline retorted, her voice still cheery and light.

"Care, I think Bonnie's right." Elena decided to jump in. "We have been lying here for over an hour now, I think our quota for rebellious acts is full for today."

"Ugh," Caroline groaned, pulling herself into a sitting position. "You two are such losers."

Elena and Bonnie smiled simultaneously – "That's why you love us." Elena said.

"True." Caroline agreed, and reached out her hand for Bonnie who had already stood up, who with a smile helped Caroline up.

"We can't just march in the classroom in the middle of the lecture." Caroline said, "That would draw too much attention on us."

Elena and Bonnie exchanged glances – Caroline was right. It wouldn't be a wise thing to do.

"What do you propose then?" Elena asked.

"I say..." Caroline looked at both girls with a devious smile on her face. "We skip the rest of the day and go out for lunch and then maybe later we could catch a movie."

"I thought we agreed on that our quota was full for today." Bonnie added with a shaky laugh.

"Bonnie!" Caroline practically shouted her name, "Just let go for a while, it's going to be fun! Ooooh, I know, after that we could have a sleepover at my place. We could do each other's hair and maybe watch the Notebook."

"Sleepover, Caroline, really?" Elena asked, "We're not 16 anymore, Care."

"So what?" Caroline asked, and started to move towards the parking lot, Bonnie and Elena reluctantly followed, it was useless trying to argue with Caroline Forbes. She always got what she wanted. "20 is the new 16." Caroline said, while looking the keys for her car.

Elena rolled her eyes at that and Bonnie just smiled. Their friend was the most erratic person they had never known and that was only a part of her charm.

Fifteen minutes later the three of them were sitting in the newly opened Italian restaurant.

"Um, Caroline, you do realize that we're supposed to be poor students not some wealthy socialites that can afford these kinds of dishes?" Elena said incredulously while scanning the menu for something that wouldn't punch a hole in her wallet. She came up with nothing and with a heavy sigh she put the menu down. Bonnie followed her lead.

"30 bucks for a salad isn't that much." Caroline said cheerily, "Ooh, this sounds delicious..." but before Caroline could wash the girls over with her fascination with Italian food, a cough interrupted her.

Elena turned around and her mouth literally fell open. She didn't think that she had never seen a man that handsome. His golden-brownish hair was messy, but in a kind of way that you knew that he had spent a lot of time styling it that way, his green eyes sparkled when the sun hit them. He had a strong jaw line and striking cheekbones and his lips were curved into a brilliant smile.

"Are you girls ready to order?" he asked, letting his eyes stop on everyone's faces for a second, before they were glued to Elena's. She could feel the air being sucked out of her body when she felt them on her face.

Caroline was the first to speak up – "I'd like the chef to surprise me." She announced with an important voice. The waiter's smile faltered.

"We don't do that kind of orders." He said, "Please pick something out of the menu."

"Seriously?" Caroline screeched and she sucked in a big breath. Elena and Bonnie both knew what was coming now, but before Caroline could start yelling, Bonnie interjected – "Just do what she says if you don't want a big drama." She sent an apologetic look towards the waiter whose smile had disappeared from his face and he looked like he was going to walk away from them any second now. Caroline shot him a dirty look.

"Right." He grimaced and scribbled something down on the notepad he was carrying. He turned his gaze on Elena once again – "What can I get you?" his voice was instantly warmer.

"Um... just water, please." She said, thinking that she'll eat the leftover mac and cheese when she gets home.

"I'd like some water as well." Bonnie said and smiled at the waiter.

The waiter eyed the tree girls incredulously, like he couldn't believe them – "Two glasses of water and a surprise. Right." He said and walked away shaking his head.

"What the hell?" Caroline hissed when the waiter was out of their sight. "Water?"

"Yeah, it's not like I could afford anything else from the menu." Bonnie opened her mouth first. "And we should probably ask you what the hell was all the '_I want the chef to surprise me'_ all about?"

Caroline merely shrugged – "I couldn't pick anything from the menu, so I'll let the chef decide for me." She smiled sweetly.

"Ugh, we're the worst clients ever." Elena groaned, hiding her face in her hands. She felt embarrassed about Caroline's behaviour and about her own, too. Who orders water in an expensive Italian restaurant? That's right. Elena Gilbert does.

"Look at the bright side of this situation, Elena." Bonnie said, "Did you see how that hot waiter looked at you?"

"What?" Elena croaked dumbfounded.

"Yeah, he was practically eating you up." Caroline butted in. "And you were ogling at him, too."

"I did?" Elena could feel herself blushing.

"Yeah!" Bonnie and Caroline exclaimed together, and then burst into laughter after seeing Elena's expression.

* * *

When Stefan stepped into the kitchen the music was playing loudly and he could hear Nik singing along. He grinned because Nik was a terrible singer but that didn't stop him from singing karaoke whenever he got the chance.

"Two pasta Bolognese and a surprise." He told Nik who looked at him like he sprouted a second head.

"A surprise?" he repeated.

"You heard me. A surprise."

"What do you mean by that?" Nik asked sourly, he didn't like special orders at all.

"Come here." Stefan beckoned Nik to come with him. They stepped out of the kitchen and Stefan indicated to the three girls sitting right next to the statue of Juno – an ugly thing, Stefan thought, but the owner had thought a statue of a Roman God would be a nice addition to the atmosphere of the restaurant.

"You see that blonde one?" Stefan asked and Nik nodded. "She's the one who wanted the chef to surprise her. I told her no at first, but she started to make a big drama out of my refusal. I had to accept her order."

"You should have told her that there's no chef in the house today. Maybe she would have backed down then." Nik said annoyance clear in his voice.

"You should have seen her face, Nik, she was ready to murder me." Stefan said, eyeing the girls, especially the one with long chestnut hair. She was striking, he thought.

"A surprise you say?" Nik mused and stepped back into the kitchen. "Okay then, a surprise it shall be." He smiled devilishly.

* * *

Elena's eyes narrowed when the handsome waiter returned with three plates. He placed two of them in front of her and Bonnie – it looked to her like pasta Bolognese. The third plate he placed in front of Caroline – it was full of carrots.

"What the fuck?" Caroline immediately screamed.

"Surprise." The waiter said with an arrogant smile.

"Is this a joke?" Elena asked, trying to sound angry but at the same time she was holding back laughter. Bonnie was openly grinning at Caroline's reaction.

"No." He said, "She wanted a surprise, here's one." His gaze flashed to Caroline who was fuming.

"CARROTS?" Caroline's voice was so shrill that Bonnie covered her ears. "Fucking carrots!" She yelled.

"Hey, hey, don't be mad at me." The waiter said calmly. "You wanted the chef to surprise you. He did. Go and scream at him."

Caroline stood abruptly up – "Yes, I will do that. Where is the chef?" She smiled poisonously at the waiter.

"In the kitchen, back there," he pointed his finger at the door behind him. Caroline stomped past him towards the kitchen.

"Oh boy..." Bonnie sighed.

"We didn't order these." Elena said, looking at the plate in front of her before looking back at the waiter again. It was then when she noticed the name tag – Stefan.

"I know." He said looking at her so intensely it made her uncomfortable.

"Take them back." Elena said stubbornly.

"They're on me. Enjoy." He said casually, curving his lips into a little smile.

"We don't want you charity." Elena persisted, pushing the plate away from her.

"Elena, he just meant well," Bonnie put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't care, I'm not a charity case!" Elena started to get angry herself.

"Well, Lena." Her name rolled off his tongue like honey. "If this upsets you so much, I can take the dish back and bring you your glass of water, but your friend over here," he flashed a smile at Bonnie, "seems to be more grateful of this, so I'll let her enjoy her meal."

Elena had frozen on the spot and Bonnie's expression was one of concern as well.

"What did you call me?" Elena's tone of voice was clipped and icy.

"Elena. Don't, he didn't know." Bonnie tried to soothe her.

Stefan looked puzzled – "I called you by your name – Lena?"

Elena stood up so suddenly that Stefan backed away a few steps.

"It's E-lena!" she snapped. "You have no right to call me 'Lena, you understand? You don't even know me!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, I'm sorry! What's wrong with me calling you Lena?" Stefan apologized, upset by her sudden attack on him.

"Screw you!" was the only thing coming out of Elena's mouth.

At the same time Caroline stepped out of the kitchen, her face red with anger and her hands balled into fists.

"Let's get out of here!" she shrieked when she reached their table. She quickly grabbed her stuff and shot another angry glance at Stefan who stared confusedly at Elena.

Elena turned her back on him and started to follow Caroline out of the restaurant. She grabbed Bonnie's hand and pulled Bonnie with her who at the last minute mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Stefan. Then they were all gone.

After a few seconds of staring at the closed front door, Stefan felt a presence next to him. Nik.

"That went well." He commented.

"Tell me about it." Stefan said.

"I guess you're not the ladies man you thought you were, huh?" Nik laughed and patted Stefan on the shoulder before returning to the kitchen.

Stefan then snapped out of the daze the whole situation had put him in.

"Hey!" he yelled at him. "You'd better tell me how it went with the blonde!" he shouted and followed Nik to the kitchen.

* * *

_**Hello! **_

_**So yeah, about Love's To Blame - I scrapped that story because I couldn't write it the way I wanted to write it. I had everything in my head, but I wasn't able to put a single word on the paper. So I was unhappy with that story and I didn't want you guys to wait another three months for an update (it would be unfair to all of you) so I decided that it would be for the best if I put that story on hold. Maybe someday I'll brush the dust off it and finish that story, but I know that now is not the time. **_

_**I know that this story right now, Oblivion, may be a bit... I don't know how to say it...hard? to read because you know the ending, but I wanted to write this because of the story of Stefan and Elena. And I totally understand if you don't want to read this at all. But a big thank you for those who do read this! :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

"So it basically was hate from first sight for the two of you?" Sebastian chuckled, imagining his parents throwing murderous looks at each other.

"Not really." Elena said, "I thought that he was arrogant, yes, maybe a jerk even, but after we left the restaurant I realized how stupidly I had acted, especially considering that he knew nothing about me and that he called me 'Lena just because he misheard Bonnie saying my name."

Sebastian considered his mother's words – "Why did you get so upset over him calling you Lena?" Sebastian had never heard anyone call his mother by that nickname, so there must be a story behind that.

"I'll come to that later," she smiled nervously, "I promise you'll find out."

"Uh-uh." Sebastian mumbled, eyeing his mother suspiciously, he had noticed how her whole body had involuntarily flinched at the name Lena. "So what happened next?" He asked in attempt to take her thoughts into an entirely another direction.

"The next day he came to the campus with Nik." She smiled at the memory, the look on Caroline's face when she saw Stefan and Nik walking towards them had been thoroughly amusing, Bonnie's eyes had been as big as saucers, but what Elena remembered the most was the feeling she got when she laid eyes on him – there was anger, frustration, but what had bothered her the most was the fact that those feelings were nothing compared to the rapid beating of her heart and how her palms had started to sweat.

"Did he write something into his journal about that day?" Sebastian brought her back to earth.

"Um..." Elena looked for the right date from the journal, "Here it is – September 8."

She cleared her throat before she read what he had written down.

_After yesterday's fiasco I convinced Nik that we should go and apologize to the girls about our behaviour. I felt really bad about how things had ended. And I have to confess that a very selfish part of me just wanted to see Elena again, although I must have been the last person she wanted to see. You should've seen Nik's face when I suggested that. He looked like he had swallowed down something utterly disgusting. The grimace he pulled was actually quite funny, if I might say so. Anyhow, after some promises of free beer, Nik agreed to come with me, although I know that his ego must have taken a big hit. _

_It wasn't hard to find those girls - this town we're living in isn't particularly huge, and the fact that Elena and her friends didn't look much younger than me and Nik, left us with only one conclusion – they must be enrolled at the local college (well the bags full of books they were carrying yesterday were also a hint). So we staked out at the campus, waiting for the familiar trio to show up and fortunately it didn't take us very long to spot them. Oh boy, you should have seen their faces when we approached them..._

* * *

"Nik, you British bastard, wake up!" Stefan hit the bed with his foot, but Nik only groaned and turned to the other side.

The apartment Stefan was sharing with his best friend Niklaus Mikaelson and with his brother Damon, wasn't an elegant one. With four rooms, it had plenty of space, but last time the apartment had seen any kind of renovation must have been decades ago. The guys didn't mind though – why bother with beautifying the place if it already has everything they needed – beds to sleep in, a living room with a flat screen big enough to play any sorts of video games they desired, a descent bathroom and a spacious kitchen. It didn't matter to them that the paint was peeling off the walls, the windows couldn't be opened properly, the floor creaked and that the ventilation system was so old that in summer it was like living in Mordor and in winter they pretty much lived in Antarctica.

The only thing modern about their home was the kitchen and that all thanks to Nik's obsession with cooking. He had insisted on replacing all the outdated equipment with new ones so that he could pursue his passion of one day owning his own restaurant and being the ultimate cook. Damon and Stefan both knew that it was no use for them to cook any kinds of meals, because Nik would always find something wrong with it. Once he said to Stefan that his beef-steak (which Stefan had prepared with uttermost care) had been so raw it had mooed at him. After that Stefan never cooked, only the occasional fried eggs for breakfast.

Stefan and Nik both worked at the Italian restaurant the girls had visited the previous day. Nik as an assistant cook, although lately he had been doing all the work, and Stefan as a waiter. It wasn't the most glamorous job, but it paid the bills and Stefan was okay with that. He just wished he could continue his studies at the college. He only had two classes to take before he could graduate, but because of the work he wasn't able to. Damon always told him to go back to school, to have his degree, but Stefan didn't want to be dependent on Damon's money – he felt like it would be unfair to him.

"Go away!" Nik mumbled, burying his face to the pillow, trying his hardest to ignore the younger Salvatore brother.

Stefan pulled the pillow from Nik's hands and grinned openly at his angry expression. "You know my mother always said that waking up early was the perfect start for a productive day. Today I feel like following her advice."

"Your mother gave horrible advice," Nik whined, but still got up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He grabbed his clothes he had thrown on the floor the previous night and started to dress when he noticed Stefan's presence still in his room.

He smirked, "Enjoying the view, Salvatore?"

Stefan's face dropped immediately, but Nik decided to taunt him some more. "I didn't know that you had switched sides." He wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way.

Stefan rolled his eyes and scoffed, but decided to go with the flow – "Yes, that was why I woke you up this early in the morning," he said, "I wanted to confess that I am in love with you, I think I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you and today I woke up with the feeling that 'oh I should really tell Nik about my feelings for him." Stefan eyed Nik intently and broke out into a full-blown laughter when he saw his friend's stunned look.

"Gotcha there for a minute, didn't I?" Stefan managed to squeeze the words in between the fits of hysterical laughter.

"You're an idiot, Stefan." Nik hissed and threw a pillow at him which Stefan expertly ducked so it hit the wall instead.

"Fine, I'll leave you to admire yourself, Nik." Stefan said, "Meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes." He added and left Nik's room, who was glaring at his back, not believing that Stefan actually had had him fooled for a second.

Ten minutes later handed Stefan Nik a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thanks mate," Nik said, eyeing Stefan suspiciously, Stefan never made coffee. "Spill it Salvatore, what do you want?" he decided to get to the point.

"I was thinking about going to the college campus today." Stefan said solemnly, "And I want you to come with me."

Nik almost choked on his coffee – "Why?" He sputtered; the thought of going there was very unappealing to him.

"You remember those three girls from yesterday?" Stefan asked.

"The blonde psycho and her two sidekicks? Sure I do," Nik said, he would never forget how the blonde had stormed into the kitchen and how she had called him a complete jerk with no manners whatsoever and how he should be ashamed of himself. And when Nik had started to laugh at her she had got even angrier. '_Relax, love, it was just a joke,' _Nik had tried to calm her down but that had made her scream even more and the words that had poured out of her mouth... Nik believed that he had never heard a woman speak like that. Although Nik admitted to himself that he kind of even liked her being so furious. It made her sexy in her own way.

"Was the blonde really that bad?" Stefan's voice snapped Nik out of his reverie.

"You should have seen her, Stef, she was ready to scratch my eyes out." Nik said, and Stefan rolled his eyes again.

"Well, anyhow..." Stefan began, "I wanted to go and find them and apologize for our behaviour."

"Really?" Nik's voice was icy, "Why?"

"You got to admit man, we were rude to them." Stefan said and then turned around and poured himself a cup of coffee as well which he loaded with three spoonfuls of sugar and some cream. Nik watched with disgust when he took the first sip, he always drank his coffee black.

"No we weren't, they were rude to us." Nik countered.

"Everything would have been fine if you just had done what the blonde asked!" Stefan said, his voice a bit louder, he was getting frustrated.

"She wanted a surprise, and she got one, what's the big deal?" Nik was still proud of the idea of serving carrots to her, he thought that it had been hilarious, although it seemed that Stefan didn't agree with him anymore.

"The deal is that we acted like two assholes and they didn't deserve that."

"So now you want to go and apologize to them? No way." Nik shuddered at the thought of having to say 'I'm sorry' to the blonde.

"Why not? It would be the right thing to do." Stefan responded.

"Because we didn't do anything wrong!" Nik nearly shouted and grimaced when he accidentally spilled coffee on the floor.

"You're impossible, Nik, you know that?" Stefan groaned running his hands through his hair.

"Why can't you go alone, why do I need to come with you?" Nik asked, interested of how the Salvatore's going to wriggle out of this one.

"Because you're my best friend and you are as guilty as I am, we're in this together." Stefan's eyes were honest, he really meant that and that annoyed Nik to no end, because how could he say no to him now?

"That isn't a very good reason." Nik said sourly, eyeing the puddle of coffee that was now on the floor.

"It's a reason nevertheless." Stefan said, "Are you in, then?"

"Only on one condition." Nik wasn't letting Stefan get his way that easily.

"Oh?" Stefan raised his eyebrows, listening.

"Next time we go out, you'll buy me beer the whole night." Nik looked up to Stefan and grinned.

It didn't take much time for Stefan to decide – "Ugh, we have a deal." Stefan agreed and reached out his hand which Nik accepted and they shook hands on it.

It's going to be a very long day Nik thought to himself.

* * *

"God that lecture was so boring!" Caroline whined when they finally were walking towards the parking lot after a very long day of classes. Elena and Bonnie both exchanged knowing glances, not saying anything about Caroline's attitude towards the last class they had, because Bonnie and Elena both enjoyed Professor Shane's classes immensely.

"So guys, see you tomorrow?" Elena yawned; the only thoughts coursing through her head were only of her bed. Elena usually walked home when Bonnie and Caroline took Caroline's car. Elena had found that walking cleared her head of any unnecessary thoughts and it she didn't mind the little ten minute walk at all.

"You're sure you don't want to ride with us?" Caroline asked for the tenth time that day.

"Yes, Care, I'm sure." Elena said and pulled her into a hug.

"Um, guys." Bonnie's voice interrupted their hug, unusually high and nervous. Elena glanced at Bonnie and then followed her gaze. Her mouth dropped wide open. Caroline was the last to see but when she did realize what Elena and Bonnie were looking at she was the first to speak.

"Seriously?" she yelped and stared at the two guys approaching them.

Elena recognized Stefan immediately but the other guy with him she did not know.

Caroline, being the control freak that she is, marched up to them in pure fury. She stopped in front of the other guy and smiled sweetly, "What, no carrots this time?"

"No, darling, I thought that cabbage would be more appropriate today." Elena heard that he had a British accent, which made him ten times hotter, but that was wiped out of her mind as soon as Stefan spoke up.

"Nik, stop it," he was frowning at his friend like he had committed a felony. Nik merely shrugged and grinned at Caroline who was watching him like he was something poisonous.

"Elena." Stefan said and Elena flinched. "Did I get it right this time?" He asked with a sheepish smile.

Elena couldn't get a word out of her mouth so she only nodded.

It was Bonnie, always the calm one, who finally started to clear the confusion.

"Why are you here?" she directed the question towards Stefan since she didn't recognize Nik either. Caroline was still glaring at him and Nik was openly grinning.

"I...um..." Stefan stuttered, scratched his head and looked utterly adorable, or at least that's what Elena thought.

"He felt guilty and wanted to apologize." Nik butted in, clearly annoyed now.

"Apologize?" Elena finally managed to say.

"Um, yeah." Stefan said, "I was rude to you yesterday, I was rude to all of you." He looked at Bonnie and then at Caroline. "So I just wanted to say I'm sorry." He smiled and Elena felt her insides twisting and turning and suddenly she felt guilty too, for how she had snapped at Stefan.

"The only one who needs to apologize is this one." Caroline said, her arms crossed and her lips in a pout staring at Nik who looked at her in mild amusement.

Everyone's heads snapped at Nik's direction. Elena thought that he suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm not apologizing for anything, sweetheart," He said, "For I didn't do anything wrong." Elena could hear Stefan sucking in a sharp breath.

"What did you just call me?" Caroline demanded. Elena could cut the tension in the air with knife and Bonnie felt it too, because just before Nik had the opportunity to say something back at Caroline, Bonnie grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her away from him.

"Care, just let it go." She tried to reason with her.

"Bon!" Caroline warned and Elena thought it was time for her to say something as well.

"Caroline, Bonnie's right." She looked at her friend who was still probably contemplating the best way of decapitating Nik. "Just go home, I'll deal with this." She shot a wary glance at Stefan who was openly staring at her. Elena felt her heart clench.

"Fine." Caroline snapped and let Bonnie take her away. "I'll deal with you later!" Caroline shouted at Nik who just smirked and waved.

There was complete silence between Elena, Stefan and Nik until they all saw Caroline and Bonnie drive away.

Elena let out a breath she didn't realize she had held.

"That went well." Nik commented earning an irritated look from Stefan. "What?" he asked when he noticed it.

"You're an ass, you know that?" Stefan stated, shaking his head.

"And proud of it." Nik smiled, "Can we go now, you have some beers you owe me."

"Not yet." Stefan turned his attention on Elena again who suddenly felt really small and unimportant. Nik let out an audible breath and muttered something, something which Elena couldn't understand.

"I'll go wait by the car." Nik said and walked away, leaving Stefan and Elena standing there alone.

"So..." Stefan scratched his head again, something he must do when he is nervous, Elena thought.

"Thanks." She said simply. "For doing this." She clarified.

"It was nothing... didn't exactly go as I planned, but still..." He smiled and Elena thought that he has the most beautiful smile in the whole world.

"Yeah, Caroline is a piece of work." Elena admitted.

"Tell me about it, Nik's pretty much the same." Stefan said and laughed out loud like something funny occurred to him. His laughter was even more beautiful than his smile.

"What's so funny?" Elena asked, unable to keep herself from smiling as well.

"They'd be the perfect match," Stefan said, "Nik and Caroline."

"They'd probably murder each other in a day." Elena said and then started to laugh as well; it _was _funny to think of Nik and Caroline being together.

They stood there, just the two of them, laughing. It all felt so easy and natural to Elena, like they had known each other for a long time. She thought that it wasn't fair how one person could make her feel like that.

Eventually they both came back to earth.

"I should be heading home." Elena said, glancing at the watch on her wrist. "Thank you again for doing this." She adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag and smiled at Stefan who suddenly had become very serious.

"Elena," he stopped her mid-step.

She thought her heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah?" Elena turned around to see him staring at her once again.

"Would you go out with me for a coffee?" he asked his face completely serious and his eyes so honest and green it hurt to watch.

Elena opened her mouth to say something, but not a single sound escaped her lips. Did she want to know more about Stefan? Yes. Did she want to open herself up to him? No, definitely not.

His face was so expectant and hopeful and it physically hurt her to say those next words: "I don't think that it would be a good idea, Stefan."

His face fell and he lowered his eyes. "Oh." Was all he said.

"I'm sorry." Elena mumbled, feeling guilty for letting him down.

She started to walk away again when Stefan's voice interrupted her again.

"Wait!" he shouted and she looked back to see him walking towards him, a new look of determination on his face.

"Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?"

Stefan's request confused Elena, but she didn't ask why he needed a pen and some paper. She found a pencil and some Post-its from her bag and handed them over to Stefan. He quickly scribbled something on it and folded the piece of paper together.

He grabbed her hand and put the note in her hand, closing her palm with his own hand.

Elena felt her heartbeat pick up and she could inhale his scent, it was intoxicating. She was nearly paralyzed by how near he was to her and her brain was turning into mush.

"In case you change your mind." He whispered into her ear and left, leaving Elena standing there like a statue.

When she opened her palm she saw the crumpled paper. She unfolded it and saw a number and a name written on it – Stefan Salvatore.

* * *

_**Thank you so much for the follows/favorites/reviews! I really do appreciate each and everyone of them! You guys are my inspiration! :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_September 9_

_I feel like I'm going to throw myself off a cliff. Maybe dive into the freezing water and let the waves carry me far away._

_I asked Elena out and she said no._

_You cannot imagine how stupid I feel right now. _

_Nik said that I should let go, but that seems completely impossible. My brain agrees with him, but my heart... it refuses to acknowledge that fact that maybe Elena just doesn't want to do anything with me. I've been turned down many times before by women but every time I have shrugged it off like it was nothing, but this time I just can't just feel not disappointed. _

_It even hurts a little, to be honest. My only hope is that she will change her mind and decides to give me at least a chance._

* * *

"Still sulking, huh?" Nik commented when Stefan came into the kitchen with another order. Stefan had been feeling like utter crap the whole day, not physically, but mentally. He couldn't get his mind off Elena and how she had looked him straight into his eyes and said no.

"I'm not sulking. I'm contemplating life." Stefan snapped, hating Nik for being so observant.

Nik laughed which irritated Stefan even more.

"I know when a man is sulking, Stefan, you can't fool me."

"Watch me." Stefan muttered under his breath hoping that Nik won't hear him.

Nik laughed again, he had definitely heard him.

"Let it go, mate. She said no, it's not the end of the world." Nik said while pouring a bowl of pasta into boiling water.

Stefan eyed his friend suspiciously; he seemed strangely cheery or was it because Stefan's own mood was only thunder and lightning, wishing to destroy everything in his way?

"I will let it all go if you stop patronizing me, Klaus." Stefan said and felt immense satisfaction when Nik grimaced over his other nickname and before Nik could say something back at him, Stefan turned around and walked straight out of the kitchen not bothering to argue with his friend any further.

* * *

"You said NO?" Caroline's voice rose to unbelievable heights and Elena could already sense the next question. Caroline was unable to let go.

"WHY?" It was like someone pulled their fingernails over a chalkboard.

Bonnie, who usually tried to stay away from all the relationship dramas sided with Caroline – "Yes, Elena, why _did _you say no to Stefan?"

Elena felt like she was being interrogated with a blazing lamp directed straight at her face. She didn't like it at all.

"You guys are ganging up on me now?" She lowered her eyes to her latte which seemed oddly fascinating at that moment.

"Yes, we are." Caroline said and looked at Bonnie who nodded her head.

"You need this." Bonnie added.

"No, I really don't." Elena said wanting nothing more than to stand up and just walk away.

"We are your best friends; we are obligated to tell you how idiotic your refusal was." Caroline stated, clearly enjoying the fact that Elena was feeling extremely uncomfortable. Meddling with other people's lives gave a kick to Caroline, or so it seemed to Elena. Or maybe Caroline just didn't want to face her own dramas, so she chose to concentrate on everyone else's.

"Why is saying no to a guy I just met idiotic?" Elena asked, narrowing her eyes at Caroline who was looking her with an expression of slight amusement, and what Elena thought, pity.

"Because he's so dreamy!" Caroline exclaimed and Bonnie nodded her head in agreement, a slight smile curving her lips. "Did you _look _at him, Elena? And the way he came and apologized...ugh, Elena, I swear if you don't go after him, I will."

"I agree with Caroline." Bonnie said and took a sip of her coffee. "You'd be a fool to let this one go."

"Since when are you two the experts on my life?" Elena snapped, annoyed with her friends. She loved them to the world's end and back, but sometimes she just wanted roast their hearts on a stick.

"Since you clearly don't know what's good for you." Caroline said her voice victorious since she knew that she had won this argument.

Elena didn't bother to push the subject any further either.

The fact was that Elena knew that her friends were right. She had been a fool when she had said no, but at that moment refusing was the safest option.

Elena was simply afraid.

She was afraid of what might happen when she finally decided to open her heart to someone, to let someone in.

Being with her friends was easy – she listened to their worries, tried to help them, they studied together, went to parties together, but she never felt like she could tell them about her own life. How she's feeling, what her dreams are, about her trivial life, because every time she tried to do that she always had a feeling that they didn't even care, that it was even boring for them to listen to Elena.

So when Stefan showed genuine interest in her, she immediately put up a great wall of china around her heart, wrapped the wall around chains for some more safety, added some padlocks and threw all the keys into a bottomless ocean.

Fear was a demon inside Elena that had sunk its claws deep into her flesh and refused to let go, no matter how many times she tried to defeat it.

* * *

Stefan had been staring at his phone the whole night, hoping that an unfamiliar number would pop on the screen.

Nothing.

Stefan fought the urge to throw something against a wall. He felt like a teenage girl pining over a boy. How ridiculous was that?

A slight knock on his door took him back to earth.

"Come in." Stefan said. The door opened and a pair of blue eyes peeked in.

Damon.

"What's up?" Damon asked, looking kind of smug with himself like he had learned a piece of very valuable information and was now checking it out.

Stefan's interest was piqued - his brother rarely made small talk.

"What do you want, Damon?" Stefan decided to get straight to the point; there was no use in beating around the bush.

"Can't a man just come and say hi to his baby bro?" Damon smirked and leaned against the wall, facing Stefan.

Stefan winced at Damon calling him baby bro. He hated that, made him feel insignificant and small.

"You never say just 'hi'" Stefan said, "There's always something extra with you just saying 'hi'"

"Ah, you know me so well." Damon retorted, enjoying their banter.

Stefan and Damon's relationship was built upon something more than just bare brotherhood. For a complete stranger, overhearing those two talking to each other would leave an impression that they hate each other, but the truth was far from that. Stefan looked up to Damon in so many ways, considered him his mentor in a way, and Damon – he would never admit it – would die for his younger brother in a heartbeat.

"So go on then," Stefan urged, "I have better things to do than to hear your annoying voice." He glanced at his phone again, still nothing.

"Klaus told me that you got your fingers burnt by a girl." Damon grinned evilly.

"I'm going to murder Nik for that." Stefan mumbled angrily, running his hands through his already messed up hair.

"He also said that you were in a pretty bad mood because of that."

"So you came here to do what exactly?" Stefan asked, wanting nothing more than for Damon to go away.

"I just wanted to see if what he said was true." Damon was still grinning.

"And did you get your answer?" Stefan kicked a baseball lying on the floor with agitation. It bounced against the wall and landed on his bed.

"I sure did." Damon's voice was gleeful, he was enjoying Stefan's humiliation way too much.

"Considering that you are constantly checking your phone, the way you are avoiding the subject and that your voice is a bit higher – then yes, I did get my answer. Stefan Salvatore is sulking over a girl." Damon couldn't hide his amusement anymore, it shined through his whole demeanour.

"Fuck off." Stefan hissed and took the ball which he had kicked earlier and threw it at Damon. He missed.

Damon's laughter echoed through the room, Stefan glared at his brother in anger.

Damon shot a glance at the bedside table where Stefan's phone was on and then smirked before exiting Stefan's room.

"Your phone just lit up." He commented and left.

Stefan turned abruptly around and saw that Damon was right.

He picked the phone up with shaky hands.

The caller was unknown.

* * *

**Sorry, this chapter sucks, but I had a lot going on this week and I still do - college is hard. :(**


	5. Chapter 5

Her fingers were trembling and her throat constricted. She felt like there was no more air left for her to breathe.

Elena looked at the small piece of paper again, the numbers shining like a beacon at her. The paper was wrinkly, thin, ready to break at any given moment because she had opened it and closed it a million and a million more times.

The numbers on it were already a part of her mind. If someone woke her up in the middle of the night she could recite them without any mistakes.

Elena kept asking herself why she is doing this. Why call Stefan when she had refused him before. It wasn't because Caroline and Bonnie had scolded her; it wasn't because she felt guilty.

She had to do this for herself, because if she didn't then the question what if would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Her heart started to beat faster and faster again.

_Breathe _she kept reminding herself. _ Just breathe._

She reached for her phone, and pushed the number in with ease, like she had done that a hundred times before. Except she hadn't.

_I can't do this. _Her thumb hovered over the dial button.

Elena closed her eyes and the image of Stefan immediately appeared in front of her with every detail in place. Her mind conjured up a perfect image of him – his beautiful green eyes, his messy hair, his sweet smile.

_I can do this._

The world slowed down, maybe even stopped spinning.

And as if in a dream she pushed that small button, launching the events that would change her whole life.

* * *

Stefan looked at his phone in a daze.

_Could it be her?_

He answered the phone – "Yes?"

He could swear he could hear someone breathing on the other end, but there was no voice.

"Hello?"

"Stefan?" He recognized the voice immediately and a big smile appeared on his face.

"Elena." He was 100% sure that it was her.

"Um, yeah. How did you know it was me?" She asked, her voice betraying uncertainty.

Stefan had to think before answering. Did he dare to freak her out by confessing that her voice was already so familiar to him that he would recognize it from a crowd of chattering people.

"I just knew." He simply said, and it seemed that Elena was okay with that answer since she didn't push the subject any further.

"So you're calling me to take up on my offer?" Stefan didn't waste any time.

"I...yeah...it's just..." Elena began to stutter on the other end of the line, clearly nervous.

"Great." Stefan said. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven."

Silence on the other end.

"Elena?"

"Yeah?" Stefan could hear her breathing on the other end.

"Tomorrow then?" his voice was full of hope. Hope that she wouldn't turn him down for the second time, he didn't think that he could take it as a man then.

"Sure." Elena's voice was so quiet that Stefan initially thought she refused him again. He didn't understand why, though. Why was she so afraid?

"Was that a yes?" he kept pestering on, because he needed a clear confirmation.

"Yes." Elena's raspy voice ringed in his ear like a Christmas bell – clear and loud.

"See you tomorrow then, Elena." Stefan couldn't stop the huge smile spreading over his face.

"See you, Stefan." She hung up.

It took Stefan at least a good ten minutes before he could stop staring at his phone. His heart was racing which was unusual for him and his insides were twisting and turning. Not in a bad way, but in a completely amazing way.

Elena had said yes.

* * *

The next day 5.30 pm, Elena was frantically searching through her closet to find something presentable to wear. Next to her bed was a big pile of clothes which weren't any good. Hell, every piece of clothing she owned wasn't good enough.

Elena looked around the mess that was her room. She took a deep breath and decided that this situation demanded desperate measures.

She picked up the phone and dialled the number of the biggest fashionista she knew – her best friend Caroline Forbes.

Half an hour later Caroline was the one rummaging through Elena's wardrobe.

"No," she threw a yellow sundress on the floor. "Nope," a red blouse with lace sleeves found its way on the floor as well. "Ugh, definitely not this one." Caroline huffed and turned to look at Elena who was clearly nervous.

"Elena, we have a problem." She stated matter-of-factly.

"You tell me about it. Stefan's going to be here in an hour and I have nothing to wear." Elena bit her thumb in exasperation, a habit she had.

"I still can't believe that you called him." Caroline said, examining a black skater dress with the utmost care.

"I can't believe it either," Elena mumbled. She actually had thought that she was going to have a heart attack when Stefan had picked up the phone. His voice had stunned her speechless and it took a while before she got a word out of her. Elena thought that she had made a fool out of herself.

"This will do." Caroline threw the skater dress onto Elena's lap. "Get dressed and then we'll have to think of what to do with your hair."

Elena's hands instantly flew into her hair. "What's wrong with my hair?"

Caroline looked at her like she had just asked the stupidest question ever.

"Seriously?" Caroline cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, I'll get dressed." Elena submitted, she didn't even want to think of what Caroline could do to her hair. Elena herself thought that her hair looked fine. Her chestnut which she wore straight as always looked fine to her; Elena didn't feel the need to do something extra to it. But arguing with Caroline had proved fruitless time and time again.

It was 6.54 pm when Caroline finished with Elena's hair. Fortunately, she hadn't gone crazy with it and merely added a bit more shine to it and added some curls to ends. Caroline looked extremely satisfied with her handiwork.

Elena twirled before the mirror, examining herself. "Don't you think I look a bit too..." Elena paused, looking for the right word, "...fancy?"

"No, silly." Caroline cooed, "You look perfect."

Elena looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit to herself that she did look good.

"Are you nervous?" Caroline appeared behind Elena, smiling.

"I am," Elena admitted, for the first time, aloud.

"Everything's going to be fine." Caroline assured Elena. "He seems like a great guy. I can feel it."

Elena let out a shaky laugh. "You feel it?"

"Yep, I have a sixth sense on those kinds of things." Caroline squeezed Elena's shoulder. "I can feel that he's going to make you very happy. You're not going to regret this, Elena." Caroline said sincerely.

Elena hoped that everything Caroline just said would be true. She couldn't let herself be caught up in sadness again. God knows that she had felt sadness and despair for a very long time now. It was time for her to finally let go of the past, it was time for her to free herself from the shackles she had locked herself in. But she was afraid that she had buried the key already way too deep. Maybe she couldn't find it anymore?

The doorbell rang, echoing through the house.

* * *

Stefan knew that he had asked Elena out for only a coffee, but he felt that she deserved something more than just that. He knew that he was taking a risk by bringing Elena to this place, but he felt that he can share this place with her, he felt like he could share a piece of himself with her.

The chink in Stefan's plan had been the fact that he hadn't asked Elena where she lived. It had occurred to him after she had hung up the phone, but Stefan wasn't going to call her back for he was too proud to do that and it would probably have freaked her out if he had called her back five seconds after she had hung up.

The only way to determine Elena's home address was to do a bit of research, but Stefan didn't know where to begin. He didn't even know her last name.

Maybe Damon would know where Elena lived or know someone who knew her family.

* * *

Stefan knocked on Damon's door; he could hear the soft music playing. He peered in and saw his brother casually lounging on his bed, reading some magazine.

"Stefan." Damon acknowledged his presence in the room without casting a single glance at him.

"Damon." Stefan nodded in response.

"What brings you to my domain?" Damon asked.

"Um...I was just wondering if you don't happen to know anyone named Elena?" Stefan said, already regretting the decision of coming to Damon's for help.

Damon put the magazine aside and looked at Stefan curiously. "Maybe." His eyes glinted like they always do when his curiosity was piqued.

"You do?" Stefan was actually very surprised to hear that.

"Why do you want to know if I know anyone named Elena?" Damon questioned Stefan, his lips curving into a smirk.

"I just need to know." Stefan really didn't want to give Damon any details on Elena. "Are you going to tell me or not?" Stefan demanded.

"I might..." Damon drawled, "Just tell me why you need to know."

Stefan ran a hand through his hair, annoyed. "Fine. I'm going on a date with her, but I don't know her last name or where she lives." He said, hearing how stupid the whole situation sounded.

Damon burst out laughing. "Ha! Ha! Classic, Stef!"

"Not funny, Damon." Stefan glared at his brother. "Your turn, spill everything you know about her."

"What if I told you I know nothing about this Elena girl?"

Stefan let out an angry breath. "Thanks for wasting my time then, asshole." He turned to leave.

"Wait." Damon called, "I do know that the Gilberts had a daughter named Elena."

Stefan stopped dead in his tracks. His blood froze in his veins.

"The Gilberts?" Stefan turned around, frowning. "Please tell me you're joking."

The mood in the room had taken a sudden drop.

"No," Damon said. "Elena Gilbert, that's her name."

"The same Gilberts that drove off that bridge last May?" Stefan clarified, remembering how the whole town had been shocked by the tragedy. Apparently Miranda and Grayson Gilbert had been driving home from some town council party when their tyre had burst causing them to drive off the bridge into the icy water. There were no survivors.

"Exactly." Damon said. He stood up and turned to the laptop on the table. He brushed his finger over the keyboard and beckoned Stefan to come closer.

A picture of Elena illuminated the screen.

"This is the girl you were asking about?" Damon looked at his brother.

Stefan nodded looking at Elena's high-school photo. The girl in the photo had same long brown hair, mesmerizing eyes and a smile so bright it could light up the whole world. Stefan wondered if that flame in her had been extinguished for eternity.

"You know where she lives?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, I do." Stefan didn't need to look for her address anymore; he knew exactly where she lived.

Stefan turned to leave, but before he could exit Damon's room, Damon said: "Don't break that girl's heart. She's gone through much more than she deserves."

Stefan lowered his head and stalked away, saying nothing.

* * *

"Where are we going?"

They were sitting in Stefan's car – a small red Porsche which had been in his family for a long time. Elena was clearly nervous, Stefan could tell. Her posture was rigid and she was clutching her bag with such force that Stefan thought it might break into pieces.

"It's a surprise." Stefan told, sending a beaming smile towards her. "I promise I'm not a serial killer."

Elena chuckled, looking out of the window, blinking at the houses and trees racing past her.

They finally stopped what seemed in the middle of nowhere. Stefan parked the car by the side of the road and stepped out of the car, he walked around it with quick steps so he could open the door for Elena.

Elena couldn't help but smile at him opening the door for her. No one had ever done anything like that for her.

"Um, Stefan?" Elena asked, looking around her. All she could see was a forest.

"Don't worry," Stefan assured her. It was probably the stupidest idea he ever had, but he knew that he needed to do something special for her. And this for him was special.

"You probably think that I am insane," He began rambling, trying to ease the mood between them, "and I know that this isn't what you probably thought to be an ideal first date, Elena. But I promise you that everything's going to be alright."

He walked over to the trunk and popped the lid open and took a picnic basket out.

Elena's eyes went huge. "Are we going to have a picnic by the side of the road?" her voice was horrified.

"You're funny, Elena." Stefan laughed. "Of course not, follow me." He started to walk deeper into the forest.

"I am so overdressed for this, thank god I'm wearing flats," Elena mumbled under her breath but Stefan could hear it anyway.

"You're perfect." Stefan said simply, looking back at Elena who had stopped and now was gaping at Stefan in astonishment. "Come on," Stefan began to walk deeper into the forest again.

A few steps deeper into the forest lead Stefan and Elena to a small path straight into the heart of the forest. Stefan smiled to himself in anticipation.

"You know, Stefan, I'm putting a lot of faith in you right now." Elena said next to him. Their hands were so close and Stefan fought the urge to grab her hand and walk hand-in-hand.

"You think I'm going to murder you, aren't you?" Stefan joked, enjoying the light banter between them.

"You're leading me into a forest with a basket that could be full of things to torture me with; you can't blame a girl for being slightly afraid." Elena retorted, although her voice was warm.

"You're right, Elena." Stefan said seriously. "I'm kidnapping you." His face didn't betray a single emotion.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I can outrun you, you know."

"Wanna bet?" Stefan grinned.

"Oh, it's on." Elena said, laughing.

"We have a deal then." Stefan agreed. "We're here." He said.

They had arrived at what was a small round meadow. The grass was swaying slightly in the warm breeze and some flowers shone through all the greenness.

"Wow," Elena breathed.

"I know," Stefan agreed.

* * *

**If anyone's still reading this lol, then please let me know your thoughts and opinions. They always matter! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

"He really wanted to impress you, didn't he?" Sebastian asked his mother, a hint of incredulity colouring his voice.

"That's Stefan for you, always wanting to offer other people the best experience possible," Elena smiled at the memory.

"And you trusted him, just like that? Even though you knew him for what? A day?" For Sebastian that didn't sound like his mother, she was always the responsible one, taking an extra minute to think things over before acting.

Elena averted her eyes on the ceiling and inhaled deeply, remembering how she hadn't been scared at all, every hint of fear she should have had had just evaporated from her body.

"Just like that," she responded. "I….I felt like I could trust him. I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. I felt safe." Elena felt a gush of warmth wash over her when she said the words and an involuntary smile appeared on her lips.

Sebastian didn't know how to answer; he was kind of stunned by the look that had appeared on his mother's face – something of pure bliss – so instead he fiddled nervously with his fingers, waiting for her to continue.

Elena exhaled sharply – "Where did we stop?" she asked, looking at her son again who seemed a bit uncomfortable, but at her words Sebastian perked up.

"You said that he took you to a some kind of a meadow."

"Ah, yes. I actually thought that he was really going over the top with that. A simple coffee would have been fine, but when I now think of it…" Elena paused, gathering her thoughts. "It was perfect," she sighed.

Elena closed her eyes, letting her mind take her back to that day…

* * *

The slight breeze ruffled the skirt of Elena's dress, making her shiver when they walked into the meadow, Stefan in the lead.

"It is getting dark soon, Stefan, you really think we have enough time to have a picnic here?" Elena asked hesitantly.

Stefan flashed a brilliant smile – "Even half an hour would be enough for me, if it means that I get to spend it with you."

Elena's eyes widened – "Wow that was a very cheesy pick-up line."

"It was, wasn't it?" Stefan laughed, making Elena laugh as well. He stopped and put the picnic basket down. "This is the spot." He took a blanket out of the basket and laid it down.

"Take a seat." He smiled at Elena who had watched him move with fascination. He had felt her eyes on him and frankly, he had enjoyed it very much.

"You really have thought this through." Elena stated when Stefan started to take different foods out of the basket.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make this special." Stefan said, placing a bowl of grapes next to what seemed like extra fancy sandwiches.

"What are those?" Elena pointed at the sandwiches.

Stefan grimaced – "Um…" his face reddened a bit. "Blame Nik, he made those."

"Why?" Elena frowned. She couldn't imagine why Nik would do such a thing especially considering that he probably didn't even like Elena.

"He has this thing that whenever I try to cook something he gets really anxious because he thinks that I will cut my fingers off or something and he also thinks that everything I cook tastes like crap." Stefan shrugged, "So when I was trying to make these sandwiches earlier in the day, Nik sauntered in the kitchen and with pure horror in his voice said that I was butchering the food." Stefan let out a dry chuckle. The look on Nik's face when he had seen Stefan trying to make something edible had been priceless.

"Okay…" Elena didn't know what to say at that. She thought that anything she might say could sound offensive, so she guessed that she'd be better off keeping her mouth shut.

"He's weird like that." Stefan stated, eyeing the sandwiches, "Food is for enjoyment." Stefan imitated Nik's accent, although it sounded like someone had put a hot potato in his mouth. Nevertheless, it made Elena giggle and that was all he wanted – to see her happy.

"Wine?" Stefan offered, taking a fancy looking bottle out of the basket.

"Do I need to remind you that you're driving?" Elena said, eyeing the bottle, it seemed way too expensive for Stefan to have.

"Yes, but you don't," Stefan smiled and started to open the bottle, but Elena stopped him by putting her hand over his, sending shivers all over his body.

"Don't," Elena said, "I don't want to drink this alone."

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked, eyeing her and when she nodded he put the bottle back into the basket.

Elena looked at Stefan, at him trying so desperately make everything perfect. His brow was always in slight frown, his mind trying to work out his next move, it seemed as if he had everything planned offhand to minute details. _He's trying so hard, _Elena thought to herself as Stefan placed another box containing something edible on the blanket. Elena wasn't used to this, she wasn't used to someone trying to take care of her, and she was always the one preparing everything, making sure that everything went according to plan. Now when the roles were reversed, she felt slightly out-of-place and that made her nervous. Also, feeling Stefan's eyes constantly on her didn't make things any easier.

"Stefan." Elena said with a soft voice, and he stopped what he was doing immediately, his eyes instantly fixed on her face.

"Yeah?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena asked, feeling something squeezing at her heart when she noticed his face drop.

"Doing what, exactly?" Stefan's voice was a bit rough like someone scraped his vocal chords.

Elena looked around the meadow and then at the picnic basket, she knew that Stefan will follow her gaze – "All of this," Elena said quietly.

Stefan's lips were pressed together, Elena knew that she had hurt his feelings, but to what extent, she couldn't imagine.

"I just wanted to make this special," he answered honestly, "I thought that you'd like it."

"I do, Stefan, I really do," Elena said, a quaver in her voice, "But this is our first date, Stefan. You didn't have to…" she started to say more, but Stefan interrupted her mid-sentence – "Elena," his voice carried a certain authority now, "You're overthinking everything, just relax."

Elena started to object, but Stefan didn't let her – "I know that for a first date, this may be a bit too much, but this is who I am, Elena." Stefan smiled at her, "I sometimes like to do things over the top, especially when I know that it would make people happy. Now, have a grape and let's have a nice night." Stefan took the bowl and offered it to Elena.

Elena looked at his earnest eyes and saw nothing but truth behind them, she still felt that he put too much effort into this date, but she thought it better not to object. Instead her lips curved into a smile and she took a grape from the bowl with gratitude.

The rest of their evening passed by in pure bliss – Stefan and Elena talked the whole night, about everything. About what their favourite colours are – Elena found out that his was blue and she confessed that it was green, although she had been too mesmerized by his eyes at that time that just maybe that answer had been a bit biased. Stefan revealed that he had an older brother and that he was his only family left, Elena didn't want to talk about her family and Stefan didn't push the subject either, knowing that she'll come to that in her own time.

They watched the sun fall behind the trees like a big orb in flames. It painted the sky into different hues of red and orange and while Elena was too busy admiring the sunset, she didn't notice how Stefan was looking at her the whole time with a look in his eyes that could be only described as a look of a man falling in love.

When Stefan finally reached Elena's house the night had already fallen and millions of blinking stars covered the sky like a blanket. The moon hung low over their heads when they stood at Elena's doorstep.

"I had wonderful time today, Stefan. Thank you." Elena meant every word she said, because after a while she had been able to forget every worry that she had in her life. Being with Stefan was easy, it almost came naturally to her, everything about Stefan made Elena feel like she could be happy again.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Stefan said, smiling.

"Good night, Stefan." Elena smiled back at him and started to unlock the door, but Stefan's hand stopped her. He pulled Elena towards him and to her utter surprise gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Good night, Elena." He said and left for his car, leaving a speechless Elena standing there like a statue.

When she finally pulled herself together and managed to get into the house, the biggest smile spread over her face like a wildfire. She couldn't stop smiling all the way up to her room and when she went to bed, her final though before succumbing to sleep, wasn't about her parents anymore, it was about Stefan.

* * *

**sigh, I do want to update this sooner and quicker, but university is being a total bitch right now and I have to make my studies a priority right now. :( But I will finish this one, sooner or later, that I can promise.**


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